Bright Eyes
by Juliette's solo act
Summary: Albus Potter is in his 7th and final year at Hogwarts, as is his cousin Hugo Weasley. The two boys couldn't be more different - in fact, the only thing they share is a fascination with Persephone Connell. Now, she's faced with a decision, but who to pick?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello world.**

**Rated 'M' just in case I get the urge to swear or add a steamy sex scene in there... **

**It's a love triangle, people, don'tcha just adore 'em? Bit of a slow beginning, sorry, but if you guys like it, I'll update quickly and it'll get more interesting (hopefully...)**

**Read, review and most importantly: criticise. Am willing to bribe with virtual food. *shifty eyes***

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters J.K.R came up with. I do own my own character and this story line, so no stealing (not that you'd want to)**_**.**

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><p><em>Albus Potter was nothing like his older brother, James, who had been running rampage throughout the shining red train since it pulled out of Platform 9 and ¾. Nervous despite his father's best efforts to reassure and his mother's calm, loving smile, Albus had not moved from the window seat of the carriage he and his brother had claimed. His intent study of the countryside as it flashed past in varying shades of grey and green that was typical of England had only been broken momentarily by the sharp rap on the glass pane of the door, where the trolley laden with sweets tried unsuccessfully to tempt him out of his panic. Just the thought of eating a chocolate frog made his stomach twist painfully, and the butterflies redouble their attack. The witch pushing the trolley had given him an understanding smile and continued her trek to the front of the train. <em>

_One cheek rested lightly against the cool glass of the window and his piercing green eyes moved rapidly across the page of the book on his lap: a new, although obviously well-read copy of 'Hogwarts, A History'. Albus devoured the words, and soon the butterflies, while they didn't disappear altogether, became easier to ignore. The carriage door opened with a bang that made Albus jump, bumping his head against the window and causing him to drop his book in shock. His eyes snapped towards the door, and he prepared to shout at his brother, but stopped dead at the sight. A waterfall of light brown hair stopped at the small of the intruder's back, just above an intricate leather belt which held up skinny jeans. This was most definitely not James. Even from the back, Albus could tell the stranger had been running – the rib cage was heaving, and the giggle that escaped and floated back to Albus' ears was slightly out-of-breath. Having finished tugging down the blinds, the intruder turned slowly, revealing a slightly chubby face and a pair of extraordinarily large brown eyes, which shone with mirth. Albus found himself face to face with a girl of about his age. There was a GIRL in his carriage. The butterflies returned to torment Albus with a vengeance. The smile on the girl's face slipped briefly when she noticed Albus, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but she collected herself and spoke._

"_Erm, hey. I didn't see you – I thought this was empty, sorry. We were playing hide and seek, only there aren't that many places to hide on this train. Hugo's counting," she said, with easy confidence. When Albus didn't reply, she continued in the same bright tone, "My name's Persephone," she grimaced theatrically, "but if you call me that, I'll hex you. I'm Sephy Connell. Who're you?"_

"_Uh, Albus. Potter," Albus replied, his tongue tripping up over the words, feeling clumsy and shy. His palms became sweaty and he trembled ever so slightly, cursing his crippling shyness._

"_You're Hugo's cousin!" she exclaimed joyfully, seeming proud of her skills of deduction. It was more of a statement than a question, but Albus replied with a murmur of assent anyway._

_Almost as soon as she had mentioned his name, Hugo Weasley burst into the carriage, shouting triumphantly as he caught Persephone by the wrist._

"_I FOUND you," he crowed, "your turn to count. 'Sup, Al?" he added almost as an afterthought, catching sight of his quiet cousin. Al smiled, and the pair left, Hugo dragging the girl by the arm, laughing and chatting easily. Not for the first time, Albus envied his cousin's natural ability to make friends and his happy-go-lucky attitude. Silence descended once again on the empty carriage, and Albus curled up by the window with his book. He barely saw the words, fascinated instead by the quickly fading image of huge brown eyes and a grin like a Cheshire cat._

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><p>Albus woke with a start, blinking away the last strands of the dream. It had been six years since that encounter on the train, and he marvelled at how quickly his years at Hogwarts had passed. Now in his seventh year, a prefect, he struggled to find any differences between his eleven-year old self and himself. Very little had changed – he was still just as shy, preferring to spend his free time in the library alone or the common room with his small group of friends rather than shamelessly chasing after girls, playing Quiditch or experimenting with muscle-boosting spells and potions. The few noticeable changes were physical - he had grown to the respectable height of 6ft2 and had lost the extremely scrawny look of his youth, having avoided the gangly stage which his cousin had inherited from his father, and the light stubble on his slightly tanned skin gave him a slightly indie look.<p>

Albus ran a hand through his unruly black hair and kicked off the red and gold bedspread. He swung himself out of the four-poster bed ignoring the cries of protest from his brain which told him to stay in the warmth. The cold air hit him like a wall and he shivered, pulling on a large dark blue jumper his grandmother had knitted for him the previous Christmas. Loud snores were coming from the ginger head in the next bed, the noise distorted by the fact that the head was face-down in the pillow. Albus smiled briefly as his cousin snuffled, coughed and resumed his snoring. Hugo had had a late night the previous night – as Captain of the Gryffindor Quiditch team, he'd taken it upon himself to provide some of Hogwarts' cellars' finest firewhiskey and show a few of his groupies a rather good time. Albus doubted whether Hugo would be awake in time for lunch today.

The sun was shining unusually brightly for September, so Albus decided to take advantage of his habit of rising early and walk down to the lake. He hastily pulled on a pair of his jeans and grabbed the thick volume that was resting precariously on his bedside table. He passed quickly through the deserted common room, not without noticing a tie that distinctly resembled Hugo's dangling from the gilded arm of a candelabrum. He exhaled softly in a half-laugh, and eased himself out of the portrait-hole.

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><p>The Seventh Year Girls' dormitory was filled with an almost undetectable symphony of inhale-exhale-inhale-exhale as the girls flitted through dreams. One girl sat, lost in thought and completely, unbearably awake. She stared out of the medieval window, her arms encircling her slender legs and hugging them to her chest, one half of her face hidden by a rippling wall of hair. The sun caught a strand that was loosely wound across her finger and it blazed bronze and red. Unaware of this new halo of fire, Persephone's large eyes stared unseeing at the mass of forest that moved restlessly before her eyes.<p>

Her eyes snapped back to the present, dragging her out of memories of her past life, and they followed the figure of a boy with a shock of black hair as he made his way slowly across the grounds. Even from this distance, Persephone could tell that he was engrossed in the object he held in both hands – his head was bent, and he did not look up once. Despite the fact that his attention was so obviously focused elsewhere, he moved with surprising grace and instinctively sidestepped uneven ground. He almost seemed to be dancing over the dewy grass, waltzing with the elongated shadow he cast before him.

Intrigued, Persephone's gold-flecked eyes followed his journey closely, trying all the while to guess at his identity. Only when he finally disappeared over a hill did she remember why she was awake so early. Guiltily, she forced her mind back on to Hugo and the question he had asked her. Did she want to go out with him? She liked him, sure, but she could not tell whether what she felt for him was the bond between friends of six years, or the attraction between boy and girl. He always had to be so bloody difficult and impatient, too, she sighed in exasperation. He had asked her yesterday, swept up in the euphoria of beating Slytherin in the Quiditch season's opening match, to go to Hogsmede next weekend as his girlfriend.

Once more, her eyes focused on a spot in the distance as she relived the memory.

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><p><em>[Flashback]<em>

_Hugo Weasley came bursting into the Gryffindor common room, a few minutes ahead of his cheering fan, his face brilliantly happy. Persephone had run back to the common room ahead of the rest of the house in order to begin decorating the room for the inevitable and eagerly awaited after-match party. She was half-way through the spell that would cause a scarlet and gold lion to prowl around the high ceiling, roaring periodically, when he grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up and spun her around in celebration._

_She smacked him lightly on the head and said, in mock-anger, "Put me down, idiot, or I'll turn you red and gold for the rest of the year. NEVER interrupt the master."_

"_You'll have to catch me first," he laughed, sticking out his tongue at her playfully, but he lowered her to the ground._

"_Congratulations, Captain," she said, and stood on tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the cheek. He smiled and allowed her to continue weaving her spells._

_A moment of comfortable silence passed, then he cleared his throat. Persephone turned at the sound to see her best friend standing somewhat awkwardly, fiddling with a loose thread on his Quiditch uniform. He realised she was staring and shoved his hands in his pockets in an attempt at nonchalance._

"_So, Sephy…" he began, slowly._

_Impatiently, she finished the spell and tucked her wand away. "Spit it out, Weasley, I've got more interesting things to do than watch you stutter. Watching paint dry, for example."_

_He took a deep breath._

"_The first Hogsmede weekend is next week, and I was sort of wondering if you'd come with me?"_

_Persephone looked exasperated._

"_That's what you wasted my precious time for? I ALWAYS go with you – me, you, Alice, Luke, Charlie, Jamie and Sara. Jeez, Hugo, it's not like we've done anything else for the past six years."_

"_No, I meant…um… Will you come to Hogsmede with me on a date?" The end of the sentence came out in a tumble of words, as though Hugo couldn't get rid of them quickly enough. He blushed, the bright red clashing with his ginger hair._

_Persephone stood in stunned silence, plans for decorating the common room completely forgotten in her surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could form the words the room was flooded with energetic, euphoric Gryffindors and the pair was separated by a mass of bodies. She gave him an apologetic half-smile and let herself be carried away on the tide._

_Persephone was kept busy all night, and Hugo was constantly surrounded by a tight circle of gushing girls, one of whom actually stroked his bicep at one point. Persephone shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't help laughing. Hugo was loving every moment of it, and she was glad that he was distracted, as it meant that she was given more time to consider his offer. At around 1 in the morning, she said goodnight to her friends, all of whom were completely drunk and happy in equal measures and retreated to her bed to think._

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><p>Unaware that he was being watched, Albus made his way across the grounds of his school, nose buried in a book on Albus Dumbledore, his namesake. His achievements were breathtaking, and Albus was completely absorbed. He did not need to glance at the path his feet were taking, having walked it more times than he could count. He made his way towards his favourite spot in the school, a place he was confident no one had ever been.<p>

Albus reached the lake and looked up briefly to admire the way the early morning sun danced over the water, making it seem as though a million tea-lights were floating on the surface. He didn't linger there long, however, eager to reach his haven. Heading to the left, he neared the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and found a path that was hidden to the untrained eye.

Engrossed in his book, he let instinct guide him through the forest until he arrived at a clearing in the middle of the dense, dark trees. Compared to the surrounding forest, the clearing shone with light. The calf-length grass was littered with wildflowers, the scents of which fused together to create a heady, pleasant perfume. Winding through the middle of the glade was a small brook filled with crystal clear water that tripped over smooth grey pebbles.

Albus wandered slowly towards the stream, settling himself on the bank. He removed his socks and shoes and allowed his feet to lightly graze the surface of the water. The feel of the cold water running through his toes, coupled with the scent of the flowers, made him relax completely. He sighed happily and leaned backwards, letting the springy grass mould itself to his body. _Home_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Is anyone out there?**

**Again, more slow-ness, but hey, the story needs to build up before the whole messy love-triangle thing can commence in earnest. It's getting there, folks, it's getting there.**

**BEWARE - shocking as it is, I think there are three swear words in here. You have been warned.**

**I hate to ask (since clearly, asking doesn't work), but reviews keep me alive. If you want me dead, don't review, but I will haunt you. Yeeaahh, so let me know what you think, and by all means tell me to hurry up and get to the juicy bits...**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this plot and my own characters. So far. I'm working on becoming J.K's legal heir so I will inherit EVERYTHINGGG (mwhahaha), but I have yet to find a really good lawyer.**_

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><p>Hugo was jolted awake by a particularly loud snore. He extracted his face from the pillow groggily and looked around to glare at whoever had woken him, before realising that the dorm was completely empty and that the echoing snore had come from his own parched throat. Experimentally, he ran his dry tongue across the roof of his mouth and shuddered. He was definitely hung over. And he had missed breakfast. <em>Shit.<em>

Blearily, he rolled on to his back and swung leaden legs over the side of his bed, groaning when he misjudged the difference (as often happened when he forgot how bloody long his legs were) and stubbed his toe. He looked down and realised that he was still dressed, although missing various items of clothing – his left sock, his tie, and several shirt buttons. Hugo sighed and headed for the shower, wincing as his bare left foot made contact with the stone floor with a loud slapping sound every other step.

Stripping efficiently (he was well versed in the art of removing clothes), he stepped into the shower, smiling wearily as the water began to flow at the perfect temperature. He lifted his face to the downpour, relishing the feel of the water running across every contour, tracing each line and easing his splitting headache. He ran his hands over his toned body, massaging in the cinnamon soap and waiting for memories of the previous night to return.

Return they did – once again, he saw himself turning red, then white, then red again as he tried to force the awkward words out of his mouth. He saw Sephy's smile freeze in place with surprise, saw her open her beautiful mouth and then she was carried away by the current of people like the sticks he and his father used to throw into the stream by their house, watching them race away. He remembered the feeling that he had done something horribly wrong – how could he risk their friendship like that? And he remembered drowning the sinking feeling in his stomach with an unbearable amount of firewhiskey. After that, nothing but brief flashes of smooth skin and girls whose names he would not remember.

"Shit!" he swore again, but this time out loud, bringing his forehead forward to rest on the cool white tiles of the shower. Why had he opened his big mouth? They were best friends – and had been since the day they met on the train – but he had to have more. Sure, he sometimes thought, hoped beyond hope, that she might feel the same way about him, that the kiss she planted on his cheek sometimes meant more than just 'congratulations' (just the thought of her lips touching his skin made him shiver pleasantly and bring a hand to his face, stroking the spot thoughtfully), but she had made it abundantly clear that she was not interested in having a boyfriend. The boys who liked her, and there were many, were turned away when they asked to have more than just a casual hook-up. He should have known better, for god's sake.

Still berating himself, he stepped out of the shower and scrambled into clean clothes. He glanced at himself in the mirror and adjusted his ginger hair before stepping out of the room. The common room was deserted, as everyone was in the Great Hall, eating lunch. Just the thought of food made his stomach rumble loudly enough to jerk a portrait out of an afternoon nap. Ignoring the glares of the old man, he pushed his way out of the portrait hole and followed his nose to the Great Hall.

Many girls looked up as he entered the hall, a few smiling coyly at him, and one winking – he assumed she was one of the girls he had had drunken sex with. _Not bad, Weasley, not bad_, he thought with a slight grin. The girl took this as encouragement and smiled back. Hugo chose to ignore her, feeling a small pang of guilt as he saw her face fall out of the corner of his eye. He scanned the Gryffindor table for Sephy's face, but in vain. She wasn't sitting with their group of friends. Hugo began to bite the inside of his lip in worry, and settled beside Alice Longbottom, who was complaining that her father, Neville, never gave her good marks in Herbology. Hugo forced the worry out of his face, replacing it with his characteristic grin.

"Why the long face, Longbottom?" he asked, helping himself to generous helpings of every dish on the table that groaned with the strain of supporting all the platters, pots and jugs. He allowed the familiar voices and the delicious scent to wash over him, sweeping away his cares for a little while.

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><p>Sephy had eaten breakfast with her friends, confident that Hugo would still be out cold after the previous night. She didn't say anything about the question he had asked her, not wanting to hear the squeals of delight, or having to answer the inevitable "So, what are you going to tell him?" Honestly, she had no idea. Even after hours of silent meditation on the subject, she still didn't know one way or another how she felt about her best friend of six years. She knew that she would not make a good girlfriend, which was the reason behind her pretty public request that all relationships with her would be kept at nothing more than friends with benefits. No strings, no labels, no pressure. But this wasn't just any guy; this was Hugo, and she didn't want to hurt him, although that's exactly what she was doing. <em>Shit<em>, she swore inwardly, stabbing a sausage a little harder than necessary.

She hurriedly finished her plate and freed herself from the table.

"Where're you going in such a hurry, missy?" Lucas asked, mock-detective.

"I'm going for a tonsil check-up," she replied, peeping up at him through her lashes and widening her eyes innocently. For good measure, she added a cheeky wink.

"Give the new boy my love," Alice giggled. Sephy blew the group a kiss over her shoulder and walked slowly out of the Great Hall, noting with secret pleasure numerous pairs of eyes that followed her out of the door.

She felt bad for lying to her friends, but she didn't feel like explaining that she was leaving their company not for the snog-session as she had pretended, but for peace and quiet, the one place she knew to find it. Sephy made no bones about the fact that she preferred to spend her free time being chased after by boys, flirting and amusing herself in whatever way she could, rather than reading in the library or, god forbid, doing her homework on time, but she had always found the library comforting. She secretly loved the quiet serenity that her somewhat wild life often lacked, and found that it cleared her head and her heart. A small, often ignored part of her mind was brought out by the heady scent of paper, ink and binding glue.

So, it was to the library that she headed when she left the great hall, and not some sweaty broom cupboard to meet an equally sweaty boy.

She found herself a cushion and settled herself on a window ledge, leaning a cheek against the cool glass of the window. Quill in hand, and ink pot tucked between her thigh and the glass, she began to draw on the parchment, not concentrating on the movements of her hand, but once again mulling over the choice that faced her.

_Either way, you'll end up hurting him, you know_.

"I know," she sighed. The sound of her voice shocked her, and the nib of the quill stumbled and snagged on the parchment. She looked down at what she had drawn, and smiled to herself.

A small boy, curled up in the corner of a carriage, looked straight out of the paper and into her eyes. A strand of hair fell from the unruly mass on his head and dangled in front of one eye, but he seemed not to notice it, surprise etched in every contour of his face and a shadow of embarrassment in his cheeks.

_What are you doing in my mind, then?_ Sephy asked the sketch in gentle confusion, unconsciously tracing her lips with the feathered quill.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wassup, mah homies? Yeah, I'm gansta today, innit.**

**Except I'm about as far from 'gangsta' as you can get. Ah well, a girl can dream...**

**Here before you lies the (short) third chapter. I do hope you enjoy - for the first time, there's a tiny bit of action, even if it's only a dream. However, bear in mind that I've never written anything remotely steamy before, so it's probably going to sound stupid. If you want to yell at me for screwing up what should have been something awesomely sexy, I guess you have no choice but to review. Seriously, though, I'd quite like tips on how to write stuff like that.**

**Giant shout out to smile-it-confuses-people-x, who is officially my first reviewer, and has pointed out the mistake of epic proportions that I've made. Hugo is the same age as Lily, not Albus. Ah well, not in this world, baby. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read the books in a while, but I would have thought that I'd read them often enough to know that by know. Poo. Anyway, thanks, lovely. It made my day 3**

_**Disclaimer: I couldn't find a good enough lawyer to legally become JK's heir. The closest I came was Injury-Lawyers-4-u, so all I have to do now is get her to hurt me, then I'll sue her for everything... I do, however, own the box I'm living in, this particular plot and my OC. Can't touch this... Na na na na, na na, na na.**_

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><p>The hand holding the book at the perfect angle to block out the sun drooped slightly as Albus fought a losing battle with his heavy eyelids. By the time the book hit his face, he had already succumbed to the temptation to rest his eyes – <em>just for a little bit<em>.

He lay in the pleasant warmth, trousers rolled up to his knees and water rushing around his ankles and dreamed of a pair of bright brown eyes.

_The eyes that could stop a thousand hearts with a single flash of blazing anger hovered inches above his green ones, set in alabaster skin that glowed with a light sheen of sweat. The look in her eyes made his heart stutter and his insides melt – they burned with passion and lust. He groaned out loud, unable to adequately express in words how much he wanted, needed her. Her lips parted as she smiled at the sound, and at the way she could feel the guttural noise vibrate through his chest and down the length of her body, raising small goosebumps down her neck. Albus used the small bumps as an excuse to lightly brush the soft skin behind her tiny ears with his lips, chuckling slightly as the contact made the goosebumps even more prominent. She rolled her eyes, but leaned towards him as his lips brushed her neck again and again. He felt her shiver in pleasure and she interlaced her toes with his. She seemed to decide that he'd teased her long enough, for she grabbed his face with her infant-sized hands and kissed him gently. Albus flipped her off his chest so they were both lying on their sides, and intertwined his fingers in her auburn waves, pulling her closer towards him, closing the gap._

_Sephy deepened the kiss, crushing their lips together. She traced his bottom lip with her tongue, asking for entrance, but Albus kept his mouth closed. Her wide eyes narrowed infinitesimally in frustration. When, at last, Albus made to break the kiss and tried to gasp, she pulled him back into the kiss and darted her tongue into his open mouth, smiling at the mixture of shock and lust that appeared on his face. _If she's going to play dirty like that_… Albus attacked her tongue with his and battled for dominance. She moaned as the two tongues met in the middle and he took that as encouragement. He slipped a hand up her shirt, gently running a finger up and down her side between her hip and her lowest rib bone, relishing the feel of her stomach fluttering at his touch. Had his mouth not been extremely busy at that point, he would have smiled. _Your move, sweetheart_, he thought. What she did next was so unexpected that Albus nearly rolled off the sofa in surprise. Persephone Connell closed her eyes._

Albus opened his eyes and whimpered almost inaudibly when he realised Sephy wasn't lying tangled in his legs in Gryffindor common room. He shook himself more fully awake, and cursed his all-too-vivid dream. He was past the stage of believing that what he felt for Sephy was nothing more than a hormone-fuelled crush, although, looking down at his now uncomfortably tight trousers, he couldn't deny that hormones played a large part in it.

He growled at himself in anger for having broken the promise he had made to himself not to think about Sephy and to avoid her whenever possible. He wasn't delusional enough to think that he actually stood a chance with Persephone Connell, most sought-after girl in the school, and all his feelings for her were doing was hurting him. He also wasn't stupid enough to believe that his touch would ever make her close her eyes – it was a well-known fact that her eyes stayed wide open through everything. There was even a rumour a few years back that she slept with her eyes open. Many boys had tried, and all had failed, to make her close those wide, brown eyes in pleasure.

Albus realised that he was still dwelling on the bright-eyed beauty, and ran a hand through his hair. The familiar motion seemed to calm him and with new resolve, he stripped to his underwear and delved into the clear, cool water of the stream to wash away the clinging images of his dream.

Sephy had reluctantly abandoned the serenity of the library, and her memories, for her afternoon charms lesson. Professor Flitwick had passed away in her third year, but his replacement, Professor Lovegood, would entertain the class with the properties of dirigible plums and what to do when bitten by a gnome. Although she did not have authority over her classes, they all adored her and gave her respect which they showed for no other teacher.

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><p>Caught up in reminiscing, Sephy had lost track of time, and so found herself on the other side of school with 30 seconds to get to her class. As charms was her favourite lesson, she had no intention of arriving late (although Professor Lovegood seldom arrived on time and never deducted points for tardiness). Cursing her high-heeled shoes, she removed them so as to be able to tear through the corridors at an even faster pace, elbowing her way through crowds of dawdling students. She had hastily shoved the roll of parchment into her bag, as she didn't have time to take it back to her dormitory and conceal it between the slats of her bed and her mattress. This, however, was the least of her worries.<p>

She rounded the final corner at break-neck speed and arrived at exactly the same time as her teacher. Lovegood smiled distractedly and motioned for Sephy to enter the classroom first. Sephy ignored the looks she received from her classmates, and strolled confidently to the seat Alice had saved her, shoes dangling nonchalantly from her right hand.

"Hello, everyone," Professor Lovegood said, dreamily, "today, we're going to be learning about the _Gemini_ incantation, which, as it turns out, is very useful when combating Snockrumlers… You see, they often eat rotting apples, and they get drunk very easily after only a few apples. They get double vision and faint, so if you can persuade them that they have double vision, they'll pass out as an automatic reaction. The _Gemini_ incantation allows you to produce an exact replica of yourself, see?" Lovegood smiled and nodded so innocently that no one felt compelled to tell her that there was, in fact, no such thing as a snockrumler.

Everyone fumbled in their bags to extract their wands, eager to begin practicing the incantation. Sephy whipped out her wand in triumph after a great deal of rummaging, accidentally dislodging the parchment that had been balancing precariously on top of her charms books. It fell to the floor, revealing the sketch she had drawn absentmindedly in the library. She flushed, uncharacteristically, and hastily shoved the drawing back into her back, hoping no one had seen.

Her wand nestled comfortably into the palm of her hand as though it was a permanent part of her body. She held it stationary as she practiced the incantation in her head, accustoming herself to the way the words sounded until they flowed smoothly and effortlessly around her mind. Then, she gripped her wand lightly and began to trace through the air.

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><p>She stared at him across the charms classroom, brow slightly creased in concentration as she silently chanted the incantation in her head. Her bright eyes were focused inwards and she seemed unaware that her eyes had settled on his face. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the fire that smouldered in the golden flecks, remembering the way they had burned in his dream.<p>

_Get a hold on yourself, you idiot. Concentrate, for Merlin's sake._

Albus deliberately averted his eyes from Sephy's face, although he could still feel her eyes on his cheek, causing it to burst into flames of embarrassment. He found the spot on the tapestry – the detail he knew no one had noticed that he used to concentrate and focus on the spell – and began to recite the spell, cutting through the air in swift, precise motions. A gasp that ran around the classroom disrupted his focus, and he turned to see golden tendrils forming from the end of Sephy's wand. He couldn't help but note that they matched the gold flecks in her brown eyes, but berated himself for thinking about her. Again. The tendrils converged and meshed together, forming a shadowy gold figure, who slowly solidified and became Sephy down to the very last detail, including the birthmark on the right side of her neck that looked like a dirty thumbprint, or a fading hickey.

_Fuck's sake, Al_, he sighed again. The more he tried not to think about her, the more he ended up thinking about her. Frustrated, he found the spot on the tapestry again and slipped into the trance-like state again. It was a few seconds before he realised that gossamer green threads were forming from the tip of his wand. Enthralled by the process, he watched as the shadows became defined and took shape until a person emerged. He felt as though he was staring in a mirror. However, he didn't look at this new Albus for long, feeling embarrassed (and frankly a little disgusted – did he really look like that?). He bent his head, and pretended to be lost in intense study of the textbook that lay open on the desk before him.

55 minutes, and 40 well deserved house points later, Albus was finally allowed to dispel his doppelganger with a quick, brutal stabbing gesture. He gathered his stuff together and struggled free of the desk which seemed reluctant to release him. He was one of the first out of the classroom door, carried on the surging tide of students.

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><p><strong>Ewww, I hadn't realised how disgustingly short and awful this chapter was. Crap. I'll blame it on the food poisoning.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Que pasa, mis amigos? Today, it appears, I'm spanish...**

**First of all, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS. I do believe I'm now on a grand total of three, and you have no idea how happy getting those reviews made me. **

**Second of all, there's some minor steamy stuff (although it ain't steamy, because steamy just comes out really awkwardly when I try to write it. If you have any suggestions, pleasepleaseplease let me know how to improve).**

**Thirdly, it's going slow, but I honestly can't speed it up. I always get off to a slow start, but they can't just be having sex all the time, ya know? I'll try, though, promise.**

_**Disclaimer: So I called Injury-Lawyers-4-u, and one guy agreed to represent me if I bought him a Cornetto (just one Cornetto). The ball is officially rolling. Soon, I will own the rights to the Harry Potter enterprise. Until that day, I will have to console myself with sole ownership of this plot and my OC, though god knows why you'd want to steal those...**_

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><p>Hugo was waiting outside the charms classroom when Sephy finally managed to leave the classroom. He lounged against the wall, attempting to be nonchalant, and grinning at the group of girls that passed him, giggling. Despite the casual pose, though, his stomach was fluttering with the stirrings of anxiety. Sephy was deep in conversation with her teacher when she emerged from the depths of the classroom, and so she didn't see him waiting for her until the professor wandered off down the corridor a few minutes later.<p>

"Oh, erm, hi Hugo. What're you doing here?" she said, as the initial surprise in her eyes faded to embarrassment, which she tried to cover with her usual bright confidence.

"It's 3 o'clock, Sunday afternoon, Sephy. Time for our swim, remember? Jeez, it's not like we've done anything else for the past six years…" His attempt at a joke fell flat as he registered the look on her face – worry, awkward embarrassment, sadness and even the smallest hint of anger.

"I can't today, Hugo. I've got, um, stuff to do in the, um…" Her pathetic excuse trailed off into a silence which lasted for what seemed like minutes. They both shuffled uncomfortably, Hugo's hands slipping down to tug at the thread unravelling from his jumper.

He couldn't bear the tension any longer.

"Fat Penguin!" he cried, a little louder than intended.

"W-what?" she spluttered, bemused.

"Fat penguin breaks the ice."

Sephy smiled, a ghost of mirth flitting across her eyes. Hugo grinned, pleased by the success of his simple line – she was almost back to acting her usual self around him. He leaned closer to throw his arm around her shoulder, as he usually did, and steer her towards the lake for their weekly swim, but suddenly the laughter died on her lips and she stepped away from him. She threw her hands up, half in apology, half in self-defence.

"I'm sorry, but I really do have to do something, Hu. See you later, yeah?" She didn't even wait to hear his goodbye, but literally ran away, clutching her bag to her chest.

"Bye, Sephy," Hugo whispered to the empty corridor.

Feeling strangely lost, he made his way toward the lake, out of habit. She was definitely distancing herself from him – skipping first lunch, then their swim. And she hadn't even bothered to make up an excuse!

Anger surged in his chest – what was wrong with the bitch? He'd asked her out, for christsake, not tried to mount her! And now she was recoiling from his touch like he'd violated her, and running away from him. _Fuck you, Persephone Connell_, he screamed in his mind, throwing a stone into the lake viciously, and shattering the still surface.

Just like that, the anger was gone. It slowly dawned on him that, in her mind, he'd done worse than actually violate her. He'd broken their friendship and her trust. Now she was going to think that the only reason they'd been friends was because he wanted her as a girlfriend. All those times they'd been skinny dipping, all the times they'd fallen asleep in each others' arms – she would never let him near her again. He'd royally fucked up; Sephy had let herself be vulnerable around him, trusting in his friendship, and he'd abused that.

He felt the overwhelming urge to tear himself apart in his despair and self-loathing. Instead, he ripped at his clothing until he stood in his underwear by the side of the vast black lake. He looked down at his pale reflection in the dark waters, his shape distorted by light ripples as the creatures of the lake stirred in its depths. He stared at the pale body before him, and watched as it morphed into _her_ – her tiny waist, her sensual curves, her perfect breasts, her smooth creamy neck, her cheeks lightly dusted with a rosy blush and her wide brown eyes that stared straight into his own.

Hugo stood for a moment, teetering on the edge, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His head cut through the cold water like a knife in butter and smashed the image he had seen into a thousand fragments. His thoughts of Sephy were pushed to the back of his mind as the cold invaded every inch of his soul.

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><p>"<em>Shit, Sephy. What are you going to say?" Alice's gentle round face was full of concern for her friend, who sat in the window seat, chewing her lower lip anxiously. <em>

"_I don't fucking know. I'm so confused… Why'd he have to ruin everything, the prick?"_

"_Okay," Alice inhaled deeply, preparing herself for a long night, "how do you feel about him?"_

"_He's my best friend, Ali. I love him-"_

"_Stop right there. What kind of love?"_

"_Erm, I don't-"_

"_Don't just say 'I don't know', that's no fucking use to us right now. Tell me how you feel about him," Alice interrupted for the second time. This is why Sephy had chosen to talk to Alice about her dilemma – she was down to earth, and impatient, which meant that she wouldn't accept wishy-washy answers but would help uncover the truth._

"_Christ… He's like my brother – I'd die for him, and I'm more than willing to kill any girl who hurts him. We fight like siblings, but then we talk like a married couple. I mean, I know everything about him, and he knows more about me than anyone else at this school… And there are times when I catch myself looking at him in a way that a sister shouldn't look at her brother, but…" _

_Alice nodded, thoughtfully. "What about girls? How do you feel when he tells you about Marie or Gabby or the latest one he's with?"_

"_It doesn't bother me when he tells me about them – he's normally complaining and whining about their faults, and we laugh about the poor things. But when I see him hugging one of them, I get this inexplicable jealousy. Like, no one else can hug him, because that's _our_ thing…"_

_Alice nodded again, looking like a wobbly-head toy. "So basically, you're torn between loving him as a best friend, and loving him as a boyfriend… Interesting…"_

"_That's all you've got to say? I'd figured that one out on my own, thanks," Sephy said, scathingly. She'd reached the end of her patience, and just talking about the whole thing had made her more confused and irritated than ever. _Stupid boy_, she thought, not for the first time that day._

"_Hey, I'm only trying to help. I'm not the one who can't make their fucking mind up," Alice retorted, "don't take this out on me!"_

"_You're right, love, I'm sorry. I think I'm going to go get some food, I didn't have dinner…" Sephy smiled apologetically and left the dorm, where her friend still sat lost in thought, staring at the full moon._

Sephy had snuck down to the kitchen, using the secret passages Hugo had showed her in second year when she had demanded to know where he got the food that he was always eating. The memory brought a smile to her face, closely followed by the pang in her heart that appeared whenever she thought of him now. She had found the house elves, as usual, more than ecstatic at the sight of her, and allowed herself to be lost in the bustle of the kitchens as the elves dashed around gathering a feast for her (one of them had actually fainted when she heard that Sephy had had neither lunch nor dinner). Sephy devoured the food the little creatures placed before her, laughing at the looks of pure delight on their faces. However, even the rich meal couldn't distract her from her problem for long. The return of thoughts of Hugo had prompted her to ask for a bottle of firewhiskey (more fainting ensued – she had inadvertently said 'please').

Now, she sat underneath the portrait of the fruit bowl that led to the kitchens, leaning her head against the cool stone and swigging periodically from the bottle beside her. Her throat burned after every gulp, and her vision focused and unfocused. She was beginning to feel as though she were sitting on a giant see-saw, which was being tilted to and fro by an invisible hand.

It took her a while to realise that there was a figure crouched before her, talking words at her. He looked familiar, but her fuzzy mind couldn't quite place him.

"You're…not…making…any sense," she said, with a great deal of effort on her part not to slur her words.

"Persephone Connell?" the voice said again, and this time the words penetrated the mist that had settled over her brain.

"Don't call me Persephone," she mumbled, trying to sound stern.

He chuckled (so clearly her angry voice wasn't working properly).

"Shuttup. Who're you?" she said, slightly irritated.

"Albus… Albus Potter," he said quietly.

"Well, sit down and have a drink," she giggled. The see-saw lurched again as she tried to pass him the half-empty bottle, and it sloshed and almost slipped from her grasp. Warm hands brushed hers as he took it from her and took a long swig, settling himself next to her beneath the painting.

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><p>Albus had long since lost track of time. He vaguely remembered calling out house elves, who returned cheerfully bearing a crate of firewhiskey, but from that point onwards the world had slumped further and further into darkness. He rubbed his eyes and tried to count the empty bottles – it could have been four, or eight, impossible to tell. He turned to his companion to ask her opinion, but he had barely opened his mouth to form the words, when her hot wet lips came crashing down on his.<p>

He let the firewhiskey take over his brain, leaning in and deepening the clumsy kiss where he would have normally pulled away. Their tongues clashed inelegantly, but the contact alone was enough to make him groan. She broke away, giggling, and pulled him to his feet, causing them to stumble and bump foreheads.

"Where…?" he asked the dancing shape in front of him, rubbing his head.

She made to tap her nose but missed, and let out a loud guffaw of laughter, echoed by a snort of his own. Sephy grabbed his wrist and pulled insistently. Albus let himself be led through the deserted corridors of his school, watching as their two shadows tumbled together and merged.

They made slow progress, as they kept knocking into each other and various walls that seemed to spring out of nowhere, which only added to the hilarity of the situation. Sephy's bright eyes were crying with laughter, and Al was sure that his were doing the same. Finally, she stopped dead in front of a tapestry. She nodded once to herself, and swept it aside, revealing a small door which opened of its own accord. Sephy pulled him through the opening and they tumbled into an abandoned classroom, landing in a tangled heap on the dusty floor.

She leaned in and resumed the kiss where she'd left off – a fierce and urgent exploration of his mouth with her tongue, which made him shiver with delight. He rolled her over so that he was positioned on top and began tracing kisses down her neck.

She gripped his shoulders more tightly as he found the sensitive spot behind her ear and grazed her earlobe. Just the feel of her soft skin beneath his hands made him go crazy with desire and he slipped his hands up her t-shirt, caressing every inch of her perfect body.

When he reached her bra, she moaned and the sound fuelled his movements. Ignoring the protests of his mind, which wanted to continue exploring the girl of his dreams, he wrenched the shirt above her head, triggering a more frenzied pace.

She ripped his shirt open, and slid it away from his chest, which she peppered with kisses while removing her underwear. Albus fumbled with his belt, growling in frustration when he couldn't remove it fast enough. Before long, they lay side by side, utterly naked bodies gleaming in the moonlight. Albus turned towards Sephy, captivated by her eyes, and paused.

She took control, rolling on top of him, one hand creeping down to his crotch. Her touch caused his skin to catch on fire, and he burned with need. Cool fingers brushed his erection and he growled, bucking in to the contact. Then, without warning, she impaled herself upon him, and he closed his eyes in ecstasy, panting. She began to ride him, and he arched his hips to meet her downwards movements, until she gasped in pleasure.

They accelerated, and her gasps escalated into little whimpers. He was nearing his climax, and she hers. She dragged her nails down his back, making him moan, and he weaved his fingers into her auburn locks, pulling her closer to him. He found the pulse point on her neck and sucked hard as they bucked together. He released her neck to gasp her name as she came on top of him, and he followed her mere instants later.

They lay asleep together, in amongst the tables, the dust and the hastily removed clothes, bathing in the moonlight, beads of sweat glinting on both their faces. Sephy's eyelids fluttered gently as she dreamed, and she unconsciously curled herself closer to his warm mass, resting her head on his golden chest. Albus' arms encircled her pale, slender form, and he slept with his face turned towards her, as though seeking out her eyes. The same satisfied, truly happy smile was etched on both their lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey hey hey, whoever's still with us by now :)**

**Today in the land of Hogwarts we learn of a love-bite, a plan to make someone jealous, and a new friendship. EXCITING STUFF, amiright?**

**Er, mild language, as usual, and a bit of a slow moving plot... No change there, then, eh? Be patient with me, my lovelies, and thou shalt reap the rewards.**

_**Disclaimer: I have a cunning plan. That's all I'm saying. I own nothing but the plot and my OC. Enjoy.**_

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><p>Sephy woke slowly as the sun filtered through the window, setting the swirling dust motes on fire, and warming her face. She tried to sit up, disorientated, and groaned when the blood rushed to her pounding head. She winced as the rays of light settled on her face, and dragged herself out of the sun, barely containing a whimper.<p>

Sephy tried to recall the events of the previous night, in vain – she knew where she was, but only because she'd been there before with guys. She had no idea what she was doing there now, or why she'd woken up completely alone. Usually, she was the one who crept out of the classroom or the dormitory before the boy she'd been with woke up. No one had ever left her to wake up completely alone. It was such a rare occurrence that she began to wonder whether there had been anyone else.

_You must have crawled in here on your own, silly bitch_, she rationalised with herself, tutting at her inebriated behaviour.

Sephy tried, where possible, to avoid getting drunk, but it was difficult, as she moved in a circle where drinking was expected. She had, therefore, been drunk before and knew that hangovers did not agree with her. Just sitting up made her feel completely nauseous, so she tucked her head between her knees and inched backwards until her back touched the cool stone of the wall. Keeping her eyes lightly closed to avoid the sunlight, she raised herself up slowly, gripping the wall for support.

_Merlin, I'm never drinking again. Ever._

Her head spun and her vision blacked out momentarily as the blood rushed to her brain. She stumbled, but managed to stay upright, just. Groaning, she made painfully slow progress back to her common room, using the walls and the occasional suit of armour for support. Sephy eased herself on to a sofa by the unlit fire, struggling to swallow wave after wave of nausea.

"Sephy? Merlin's beard, you look like shit – did you sleep at all?" Luke Zabini perched on one arm of the battered sofa, studying Sephy's tired face and noting the lack of sparkle in her eyes.

"Mmm. Shhh," she mumbled in reply. This translated as 'yes I did sleep, and shut the hell up'.

"Oops. Whoever kept you up is one lucky bastard," Luke said, grinning, but lowered his voice in compliance, "I'll get you a hangover cure, just a sec…" He hopped up, the thud he made when he landed meriting a wince and a pathetic glare from Sephy. His grin widened, and she turned away, too tired to start a fight.

"Nice bite, Seph," he threw back over his shoulder, gesturing to a spot on her neck.

Bite? What the hell was the crazy boy talking about? Sephy reached a hand up to her neck, feeling for a lump or a cut, but she couldn't feel anything. She sat in bemused silence, one hand still unconsciously tracing the veins that ran up and down her neck, until Luke returned with the cure (his own recipe, and a miracle-worker). After one sip, she felt immediately better; her headache disappeared along with her churning stomach, and she was able to bear a conversation without wincing.

"Thanks, Luke. What would we do without you, eh?" she said softly, hugging him in thanks. He blushed and looked extremely pleased with himself, so she ruffled his perfectly coiffed blonde hair.

"Aw, Sephy, why would you do that? It was just right!" he whined, busying himself trying to sort out the mess she'd made.

"Don't start crying or you'll ruin your makeup, Lulu," she teased and he shot a glare. "What exactly did you mean by 'nice bite'?" she asked after a small silence.

"You haven't seen it? Well, I won't spoil the surprise – go find a mirror!"

Intrigued and slightly worried, Sephy leapt to her feet, smiling at the return of her mobility. "See you in potions, Luke," she called over her shoulder as she bounded up the stairs to her dormitory in a distinctly unladylike manner. She stood in front of the full length mirror and scanner her body. Her clothes were rumpled and covered in dust, but the potion had done its work – colour had returned to her cheeks and her characteristic brightness shone from her eyes. She swept her hair up and away from her neck to look for the bite Luke had mentioned, and found it immediately.

It was positioned exactly on top of her thumbprint-shaped birthmark and obscured it completely. The swelling must have gone down overnight, so all she was left with was a large circle of red and purple, where the capillaries had popped. It wasn't exactly a discrete, subtle hickey, but would be easily visible to everyone. Any attempt to cover it would only draw more attention to it.

_A love-bite? So classy, Sephy._ She sighed and let her hair fall back into place, and began to remove her clothes. She couldn't wait to have a shower.

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><p>Hugo was surprised to see Sephy at breakfast that morning – he assumed that she would have skipped it in an attempt to avoid him. They were on the verge of having to work out a meal rota. However, she walked in to the Great Hall as normally as ever, and settled herself between Alice and Sara with a brilliant smile. He noticed with a slight pang that she had, seemingly by chance, chosen the seat the furthest away from him as possible, but her presence was enough to console him. Merlin, he had missed seeing her properly. He watched her over the edge of his fork as she chattered comfortably with her friends, caressing every line of her face with his eyes, tracing the line of her nose, the outline of her lips, her chin, following a tendon down her white neck searching for the light birthmark –<p>

"What in the name of Merlin's saggy y-fronts is that?" he asked, pointing at the new blemish on the otherwise creamy skin.

"It's called a hickey, Hugo… I'm almost certain Christina will refresh your memory as to what they entail," Alice answered for her friend, laughing. The small group chuckled as they remembered Hugo's first foray into the world of love-bites, and how he had once believed that he had to actually bite the poor girl. Sephy joined in with the laughter eagerly, obviously glad that she wouldn't have to answer his question. He couldn't very well bring it up again without sounding like a jealous prick, so he tried to ignore it and began reading the cartoon strip in the paper a little too intensely.

Try as he might, his eyes kept wandering back to the purple circle on her neck. He wasn't naïve enough to think that just because he'd asked her out, she would immediately join a convent, but he couldn't help feeling that it was slightly callous on her part to leave him still waiting for an answer and go around shagging other guys. Then again, she hadn't asked for any of this, so maybe she saw no reason to change her attitude. Despite his attempt at being rational, jealousy consumed his appetite and he left soon afterwards.

On his way out of the Great Hall, he took a detour to the Slytherin table, tapping Victoria Delacroix on the shoulder. She turned around and nearly spilt her pumpkin juice in surprise.

"Merlin, you scared me, Hugo!" She plastered her usual air of faux-happiness on her face and gave him a look which was obviously supposed to be 'smouldering'. "What can I do for you, handsome?"

Hugo rolled his eyes subtly, and would have backed out of it then and there, had he not caught Sephy staring at him from the Gryffindor table. Spurred on by his desire to make her feel something for him, if only jealousy (or disgust), he grinned arrogantly and said to the simpering girl beneath him, "Oh, I can think of a few things…" He trailed off suggestively and pulled her from the table a little more roughly than he should have done. She gasped, whether in pain or surprise he didn't know and didn't care, but followed him meekly out of the hall, winking at the girls she'd left behind.

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><p>The circular desks in the potions classroom were arranged in a semi-circle around the teacher's desk, allowing Albus put himself in a position that allowed the perfect view of Persephone Connell. Obviously, he told himself that the seat he had chosen gave him the best view of the teacher's demonstrations, but he spent very little time looking at how to chop mandrake roots in the most efficient fashion, and spent rather more time studying the seemingly abstract pattern Sephy was tracing on her face with the feathered end of her quill.<p>

"Potter?" The voice of Professor Buddle broke through his reverie. His eyes snapped back to the front of the class, where the emaciated man stood impatiently.

"Y-yes sir?" Albus replied, feeling his throat close up and his swallowing become erratic in an instant. He hated being picked on in class, especially when he had no idea what was going on as he'd been too busy staring as the girl.

"Well? Would you care to answer my question, Potter?" Buddle was clearly losing patience with Albus. Someone kicked his ankle sharply, and he turned to glare at the culprit, but she pushed a scrap of parchment towards him, keeping her eyes focused on the professor at the front of the class. The words 'Felix felicis' had been hastily scrawled on it.

"Felix Felicis, sir?" he said, trying to keep the tremors in his voice hidden.

"Good, Potter. Take five points to Gryffindor." Buddle's attention returned once more to the cauldron in front of him, and Albus was able to turn to his saviour and thank her.

"Thank you, Blackwater," he whispered gratefully.

"No problem, Potter. You can call me Felicia, by the way," she whispered back, smiling. Her electric blue eyes sparkled from beneath a black fringe which she swept impatiently out of her face.

"Felicia," he said, more to himself, testing the word out on his tongue. "Well, then call me Albus, not Potter."

"Deal," she said, smiling and reaching out her hand. They shook on it, smiling widely. A peal of laughter from the other side of the room distracted him, and he looked for its source (although he didn't need to – he would have recognised her laugh anywhere). Sephy was shaking with silent laughter, as was the blond boy beside her.

"Miss Connell. Care to explain what you find so amusing about the properties of a mandrake root?" Buddle said, silver knife flashing in the light.

"Nothing, sir," she said, frankly, with a winning smile. She widened her eyes innocently and batted her eyelashes. This would have made anyone else look ridiculous, but it melted Albus' heart even from a distance.

Buddle, caught in the full force of the look, stood for a moment like a deer trapped in headlights, before coughing and blushing.

"Pay attention, next time," he said with an attempt at severity. Sephy nodded demurely, and flicked her hair over her shoulder, baring her neck. There, on her neck, was a large purple love-bite that eclipsed the smudge-like birthmark. Albus recalled with a flash of guilt where he had woken up that morning.

_Did _I_ do that to her?_ he asked himself in disbelief. As he scrutinised that spot on her neck, trying to remember the events of last night, he watched her raise her hand to it as though she could feel him watching her. Rather than covering it, she traced it lightly, smiling to herself.

Albus tore his eyes away from her and focused on making the potion. Felicia was busy fetching supplies from the cupboards, and had left him with strict instructions to cut the mandrake roots before him, using the larger of the two silver knives. He lost himself in the repetitive motions and the rhythmic thud of the knife as it landed on the chopping board, his mind very definitely elsewhere.

_Albus woke, disorientated. He couldn't move his left arm – in fact he couldn't even feel his left arm. He didn't know where he was, and even thinking made his brain ache. His tongue was fuzzy and stuck to the roof of his mouth, and he was cold. Then the sun, which had been warming a patch on his chest, crept on to his face and he groaned out loud. He shut his eyes against the light, bathing his world in red, and turned his head away from the window. When that proved to be inefficient, he realised that he was going to have to move. More groaning ensued. _

_Finally, he plucked up the courage to try and shuffle towards the blue mass he had identified as his jumper. Just as he was about to move, the warm weight on his chest moved and breathed in deeply. Hardly daring to look, he turned his head in almost comical slow-motion. There, one leg interlocked with his and her right arm slung across his stomach, rested Persephone Connell. It was all he could do to keep from yelling out in surprise._

_He collected himself, and took another look, unwilling to believe that this was reality. He must still be dreaming – except the pain in his head told him otherwise. That meant… That meant that the girl who slept so peacefully, curled into his side, face upturned towards his, dark hair fanning across her bare back was really and truly Sephy. Albus lay, gazing down in wonder at the sleeping figure, smiling as she moved closer towards him in her sleep._

_He had no idea how long he spent like that, studying every inch of her perfectly naked body, but the sun turned from weak yellow to rich golden and began to flood the room. Sephy whimpered slightly, her eyelids fluttering. Only then did the thought hit him that she would be waking up soon. His body flooded with icy fear at the thought – how would she react to waking up next to him, completely and utterly naked? He could see her already, recoiling in disgust, pushing him away and shouting insults at him. Her reaction would not be one of pure joy, as his had been. He saw her getting angry, calling him a pervert and hitting him. He imagined the rumours that would spread, how he would be alienated, and how girls would whisper and glare at him as he passed them in the corridor. There was no doubt about it – he had to leave before she woke up._

_Tearing himself away from her warm form was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he forced himself to ease his numb arm from underneath her silky head, handling her as though she were a statue made from faerie glass so as not to wake her. He dressed himself in a hurry, ignoring the screams of protest that issued from his brain when he moved too quickly. As he clambered out of the door, he shot one last look of longing mingled with love at the peaceful figure that burned golden in the sun's rays before closing the door gingerly._

"Albus? Albus? HEY, POTTER!" The shout brought him back to the present, and he blinked in surprise. Felicia was standing next to him, a pile of ingredients in her arms and a look of mild annoyance on her face. He grinned apologetically, and she rolled her eyes in mock-despair.

"You were miles away, dreamer. Where'd you go? And you finished chopping those roots ages ago, so I don't know why you're still trying to chop them." Albus looked down, sheepishly, and stilled his hand before he managed to hack through the chopping board completely.

"I was just thinking about…stuff," he answered lamely.

"Yeah, well, from now on you'd better only be thinking about finishing this potion, because I'm hungry and I want to get to lunch before all the food's gone. What?" she said, when Albus began to laugh, "A girl's gotta eat, right?"

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><p><strong>I don't need to tell you that reviews quite possibly make my year... They make up for the hours I spent waiting for a letter from Hogwarts. So, if all you muggles out there feel my pain, help ease the disappointment of childhood and send me a reviewwww!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, so it's been a long while because I'm in Paris and sans internet. So to make up for it, I've written an extra long chapter that should really be two chapters. **

**Guess what, people, more drama. You love it really... right?**

**Reviews are always appreciated, even if you only want to scream at me for taking so long to upload. Tell me what you think, my lovelies, and I'll reward you with imaginary treats.**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and OC. Master plan is in action though, don't you worry.**_

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><p>By the time Sephy got to the Gryffindor common room that evening, she was thoroughly tired of people asking who had given her the bite, not because the question itself irritated her, but because she genuinely didn't know the answer. People thought she was keeping her mystery man a secret for a reason, but it was only because she could remember nothing but vague flashes of colour from the night before. Unconnected, random images would surface from time to time in her memory, breaking through the fog like a swimmer surfacing to gasp for air.<p>

Sephy slumped in an armchair, kicking her shoes off. Luke, Alice and Charlie were sitting on the floor around the coffee table playing an animated game of exploding snap, and Hugo still hadn't returned. In fact, she hadn't seen him since breakfast, when he had swaggered off with that slut, Delacroix.

She knew she had no right to be jealous, so she told herself that the only reason she was feeling this way was because she wanted what was best for Hugo. Even she didn't buy such a pathetic attempt at justification. She was just so _confused_.

"Urgh," she sighed in exasperation, as she failed once again to sort out the mess of emotions and thoughts in her head.

"You okay, Seph?" Luke asked, eyes still focused on the game in front of him.

"Yeah… I'm gonna go to bed, though, bit tired. Didn't exactly do much sleeping last night," she grinned, her innuendo making her friends chuckle lightly.

Sephy made her way up to the girls' dormitory, shoes in one hand. She hastily got changed and flopped on top of her bed. She really was tired… Her eyelids felt very heavy all of a sudden, and she chose not to put up a fight when they slipped over her brown eyes.

_Sephy lent against the cool stone wall and gulped from the half-empty bottle in her hand. The golden liquid burned her throat, making her eyes water, but her mind was already numbed by the alcohol and she barely noticed. The world spun and her watering eyes didn't help her vision at all. Out of nowhere, a figure materialised in front of her eyes, swaying in time to the rest of the world. The shadow lent forwards and began to take form, becoming a face she recognised but couldn't, in her alcohol-addled state, place._

_Unruly black hair, falling carelessly over brilliant green eyes; cheekbones to die for and lips that seemed made for kissing, surrounded by light stubble. _

She woke from her half-sleep with a jolt, the face fading from her mind but leaving a lingering imprint of green eyes. She knew exactly who had given her the love-bite, who had left her while she was still sleeping, and who (oh Merlin) she had had sex with. _Shit shit shit shit shit_, she chanted in her head as she ran down the stairs in blind panic, ignoring the looks she received from the last few girls who tiredly made their way upstairs to bed.

She jumped the last two steps, landing loudly on the floor of the common room, but almost as soon as she'd landed, she was dashing up the stairs that led to the boys' rooms. She didn't really have a plan – she didn't know which bed was his (though thankfully she knew which room he was in), or what she was going to say to him, or even how she felt at the discovery, but she didn't slow down.

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><p>Albus was sitting on the window sill, staring at the glittering black mass of the lake in the distance when she came bursting into the room. She skidded to a halt when she saw the two empty beds, one his and one Hugo's. He assumed she was looking for his cousin, as she had shown no sign of remembering the previous night, so he didn't move from his perch.<p>

He jumped when a hand encircled his wrist and tugged. Albus looked up and met shining brown eyes that were, for once, completely unreadable. When at first he didn't move, she tugged on his wrist again, jerking her head towards the door as if to say: _Outside. Now._ Albus gulped, but chose not to argue with her.

When they reached the corridor, Sephy cast a _mufflito_ charm around them. She was going to start screaming at him, Albus just knew it. He braced himself for the inevitable onslaught, wrenching his wrist from her grasp to cross his arms in an attempt to create a physical barrier between them.

"Was it you?" she asked, quietly. Albus could have sworn he saw disgust etched across her face, and couldn't bring himself to speak. Instead, he nodded slowly, taking a step back.

"Did we… do everything?"

Again, he nodded, adding in a voice that was barely audible, "At least, I think so. I don't remember much. A bit of drinking, then waking up…" the words 'and leaving' trailed off unsaid, but hung heavy in the air. He bowed his head in shame, unable to look at her for fear of the hatred, anger and repulsion he'd see in her eyes.

"Look, if you want, we can just pretend nothing happened," he sighed, knowing full-well he'd never forget.

Before she could say anything, the pair was interrupted by the arrival of a red-haired boy. They sprung apart guiltily, as though they'd been doing more than just talking. Hugo didn't seem to notice, but his face assumed a practised vacant look that didn't quite cover his joy and surprise at seeing Sephy outside his dorm room.

"H-hugo, what are you doing here?" Sephy asked in confusion.

"Going to bed, obviously… I'm all tired out for some reason," he drawled, in an arrogant voice Albus had never heard him use before. In mock-absentmindedness, he rubbed at a lipstick stain on his jaw bone. "Actually, what are _you_ doing here?"

"Um, I just… I needed… I was…" Sephy stumbled over her words, looking for an excuse. She threw Albus a desperate look of panic.

"She wanted to borrow a book on _Gemini_ charms which I'd taken out from the library," Albus cut in.

Hugo seemed to accept the excuse readily, not even bothering to question the fact that neither of the two had a book in their hands.

"Yeah, there's nothing more fun than a bit of late-night reading. Actually, I can think of a few late-night activities I'd prefer." He winked lewdly at Albus, who was struggling to understand why Hugo was acting like such a prick. Sure, he'd heard the two had had a falling out, and Hugo had told him why (and it had seemed like a stupid reason to avoid each other as much as possible), but it barely explained Hugo's sudden spurt of bawdy behaviour. The two needed to sit down and talk calmly like adults, or even shout at each other until they resolved something – anything would be better than this pretence of cordiality and the coldness that had settled between them.

"Whatever. Night," Sephy said, curtly, clearly angered by Hugo's behaviour (and rightly so, in Albus' opinion).

"C'mon Al," Hugo said, pulling Albus into the darkness of the dormitory, and shutting the door on Sephy's retreating figure. "What's her problem anyway?"

"What's _your_ problem, Hugo? Why're you acting like such a dick? Just talk to her, for Merlin's sake," Albus replied wearily, climbing into bed.

There was silence for a long while as both boys stared into space, lost in thought.

"You really think I should talk to her?"

"Yes."

"Things are so weird between us. I don't know what I'm doing… She makes me crazy – I can't stop thinking about her, you know?"

"Yes," _unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean._

"And when I was shagging that slut –"

"Victoria?"

"Yeah, Vicky. Anyway, it was _her_ face I was kissing, _her_ body I was touching. How fucked up is that? I wonder whether she was doing the same thing to whoever gave her that mark…"

Dread settled, cold and heavy, in the pit of his stomach and his hands became clammy. Albus was certain, more certain than he had been about anything in his life, that what Hugo had said was true. It made so much sense – why else would she have allowed herself to fall asleep on him? Why else would she even have looked twice at him? She had been seeing Hugo's face the whole time. The lump in his throat grew painfully large, as though he was trying to swallow a bludger whole. At that moment, Albus doubted even the _crucio_ curse would have hurt as much as the pain in his chest.

"Yeah, I'm going to talk to her tomorrow – in Hogsmede. Thanks Al," Hugo said, with new resolve. Albus couldn't even bring himself to speak, fear and pain gripping his throat with a strangler's grasp.

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><p>Sephy woke in a bed that was not her own, in a room she recognised as the 7th year boys' dorm – Hugo's room. The hole someone had punched in her chest gaped wide, and thinking of him felt as though someone was shredding her bared heart. Feeling the sting of tears, she crawled down to the end of the bed and concealed herself in the space between the duvet cover and the duvet itself, making a bubble of security for herself, something she hadn't done since her father had died. She didn't know what to think, and it took all her willpower to keep breathing. She hugged her knees to her chest and curled into a foetal position in her little nest. She knew people were probably looking for her – she'd left Hogsmede in a hurry – but she hoped her friends knew her well enough by now to leave her to ride out the tide of sorrow by herself.<p>

The day had been one disaster after another, the weight of each pressing down on her lungs until she could barely breathe, building up on her shoulders until every step became an almost insurmountable challenge.

_She'd been late for breakfast trying to find some clothes to wear – it seemed the house-elves had misplaced every single item of clothing she owned. In the end, she'd had to borrow a shirt from the only girl left in the dorm: Louisa Adams, who hated her ever since Sephy had apparently 'stolen' her boyfriend. It wasn't her fault that the boy had thrown himself on her (and she'd been completely drunk, so in no position to think sensibly). Louisa was also nigh on 6ft and several sizes larger than Sephy, which explained why Sephy had appeared at breakfast wearing a blue shirt she'd turned into a dress with a bit of clever conjuring. First disaster averted – she was pleased to see that she still got the appreciative stares she'd grown used to._

_She sat herself down by her friends (Hugo was over by the Slytherin table, engaging in energetic kissing with Delacroix, while still managing to flirt with her friends), and helped herself to some fruit – the only thing left to eat at the table. They were, unsurprisingly, discussing what they were going to do in Hogsmede._

"_We ought to go to Weasley's, obviously," Charlie ventured. "Wonder if they'll give us a discount even if Hugo's not with us…"_

_Sephy's brow furrowed in confusion._

"_Wait, why isn't Hugo coming with us?"_

"_Because of y-" Charlie began, but was interrupted by Alice._

"_Because he's going with Chicken Cutlets over there," she said, but her correction did not come fast enough._

"_He's not coming because of me? Is that what he said?"_

"_Yeah, but Seph, it's not important. He's just being a dick. Leave it, okay?"_

_Sephy nodded, but could feel hurt building in her heart. It would be the first time ever that they hadn't gone to Hogsmede together._

"_Scor is meeting me at the fountain at 10 o'clock so…" Luke paused to check his watch, "I probably won't have time to do anything with you guys." Luke pouted, looking sad, but his eyes were lit by a brilliantly happy light so his attempt failed miserably. They'd been going out for half a year secretly, but Scorpius Malfoy had just come out publically, and this would be their first proper date. Sephy felt slightly sad that she wouldn't see Luke at all in Hogsmede, but couldn't help but be happy for him. He'd waited so long for Scorpius to see the light, and the waiting had only made his joy sweeter._

"_Well, Alex is coming at 10.30, so we won't be there long either," Jamie said, squeezing Sara's hand, half out of love and half out of anticipation. Alex, Jamie's older brother, was coming to Hogsmede to meet Sara. Jamie wanted his approval because he thought the world of his big brother, and because he'd use the reaction of his brother to gage the reaction of the rest of the family._

"_I have a few dates, so I'll probably be busy most of the time," Charlie said, nonchalantly. Nobody raised an eyebrow – Charlie was a notorious tease, never ready to settle with a girlfriend, but openly dating up to five girls at a time. "And of course, let's not forget that Alice is meeting up with a special someone too!"_

_Sephy's mouth dropped open in surprise – she didn't even know Alice had a 'special someone', let alone that she was going to see him. Alice flushed prettily, and smacked Charlie lightly on the arm. She looked across the table and saw Sephy's look of surprise and blatant confusion._

"_James is coming down from London. We're just friends though," she added, blushing even more at Sephy's growing surprise. She knew the two had been in contact – it made sense, as they saw each other most holidays. The Longbottoms and the Potters were very close, and Alice was truly beautiful. Although her face was not as obviously pretty as that of Sephy's, her personality was radiant, and the two meshed together to form a beautiful creature. It was only a matter of time before one of the Potters noticed her, really. For some reason, Sephy found herself being grateful that it was James and not Albus who had discovered Alice. _Selfish bitch. You had drunken sex with him once, and now not even your best friend can have him?

"_So you've all got dates? Well well, aren't we growing up? The supreme seven is no more…" Sephy said, with an attempt at bravado. She was sad, though, that they were abandoning yet another of their traditions. She wasn't entirely ready to relinquish her childhood yet, but clearly the others didn't share her reluctance. Second disaster – to be born with graciousness (after all, she couldn't very well demand that her friends give up their dates just to entertain her, could she?)._

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><p><em>Hogsmede had proved too full of people for her liking, and she couldn't really enjoy any of the shops without her friends. She was passed around between different groups of people (generally large clumps of boys), but the girls in those groups seemed to dislike her company. Eventually, she gave up and walked to the outskirts of Hogsmede, where there was a small park her group used to frequent. She sat on one of the swings and began to swing, as high as it would take her.<em>

"_Nice pants, Seph!" someone called from the ground. She gave Hugo a dirty glare, and was pleased to see that his grin faded a little. The weather was making her irritable – black clouds hung low and heavy on the horizon, and the air seemed denser._

"_What do you want?" she said, at the same time as Delacroix whined from the gate of the playground: "Hu, I'm hungry. Don't you want to come have lunch?"_

"_No," he replied curtly, before turning his attention back to Sephy. "Look, we need to talk. Properly."_

_She sighed, and leapt from the swing while it was still moving, landing gracefully a few meters away from him._

"_So talk."_

"_Um, okay. Look, I don't understand why you're acting like this. All I did was ask you out. You never even answered the bloody question. Can't we just forget it happened and go back to the way things were?"_

"_I don't think so, no."_

"_Well, why the fuck not?"_

"_Because, Hugo. We can't go back to being best friends if you'd rather shag me. It just wouldn't work."_

"_I didn't ask you out because I wanted to fuck you. If I'd wanted that, I could have just helped myself. It's not like it's difficult to get you to have sex –" he broke off, realising he'd said something wrong. She let the words hang in the air, the tension between the two growing until it was unbearable._

"_So, what you're saying is, and correct me if I'm wrong: I'm a whore, and you can 'help yourself' to me whenever you want?"_

"_That's – that's not what I meant." He advanced until he was close enough to touch her, and put a hand out as though torn between hugging her and hitting her._

"_Oh, really? What is it that you meant, then, Weasley?"_

"_I meant – oh fuck it. I'm trying to tell you that I love you, okay? I fucking love you, Persephone Connell."_

_All the anger that had been building inside her drained away and was replaced by shock. More out of reflex than anything, she said, "Don't call me Persephone."_

_It was the wrong thing to say._

"_That's it? I tell you I love you more than I've loved anything in my life, and that's all you can say?" Hugo backed away from her, anger blazing in his eyes._

"_I… Hugo… I –"_

"_I can't look at you right now," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. He averted his eyes as though to prove his point, disgust curling his lip. Without another word, he turned and left her standing utterly alone by the swing that was still moving. Disaster number three put the other two into perspective. The light left her eyes and she sank to the floor, a shell of herself._

* * *

><p><em>She had no idea when it had started raining, but by the time she noticed, her borrowed shirt was several shades darker, and clung to every inch of her body like a second skin. The belt she'd fabricated out of magic had faded away, but she no longer cared. Her arms were wrapped around her slender frame, more for comfort than for warmth, but even they trembled with the sobs that simply wouldn't come. Her eyes were wide, and stared through the downpour at a spot in the distance, but the light was gone and they were unseeing.<em>

_She barely stirred when warm arms wrapped themselves around her – one circled her waist, the other slipped under her knees. She vaguely registered the fact that she was no longer on the ground and was pressed against a strong chest, but continued to stare and to tremble. She didn't hear the words the boy was whispering, but felt his throat move as he spoke to her, and understood the sentiment as he hugged her closer to him._

_Finally, his warmth melted the tears frozen in her eyes, and they began to fall, hot and fast, down her wet cheeks. Saltwater mingled with rainwater on her skin, and the traces of her sadness were washed away by the downpour. Her hands relinquished their hold on each other and she raised them to her face to cover the silent scream that her lips formed, some instinctual part of her brain ordering her to try and maintain her usual façade of confidence. Even in her non-responsive state, she registered how stupid the effort was – she was being carried like a baby, too weak to protest, and glad of the warmth._

_Slowly, some use of her senses returned to her. She could smell him above the smell of damp earth, and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. She heard his footsteps, slow and heavy under his burden, and behind him another pair of footfalls which were quicker and lighter, as though the person was running to catch up. Finally, the whispers reached her brain._

"_Shh, Seph, shh. It's okay, I've got you. Everything's going to be fine, lovely, don't worry. I'll take you to the hospital wing, and –"_

"_Not the hospital wing," she whispered back, unsure whether her throat had made any sound at all. Her voice shook, and she let out a sob. She looked up for the first time, and met a pair of bright green eyes. His black hair was plastered to his forehead, but he didn't seem to care. At the sound of her voice, his eyes brightened visibly._

"_Alright, not the hospital wing. Bed?" he asked, gently. She didn't think she had the energy to speak again, knowing that if she opened her mouth, the sobs would come pouring out, and she'd lose the last bit of self-control she retained. Instead, Sephy nodded slightly._

"_We're going to take a bit of a shortcut, so people don't see you like this, alright lovely?" He spoke to her as though she were a child, but she didn't mind – it made her feel safe. He turned away to talk over his shoulder at the person who was following a few paces behind, and Sephy whimpered when his green eyes left hers, feeling colder._

"_I'm sorry, Felicity, I have to go. Could you…not tell anyone about this?" Sephy didn't hear the answer as the green eyes were back and locked on hers. She seemed to draw all her warmth from the fire burning in their depths, and the more she looked, the slower the tears fell from her wide eyes. _

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><p><strong>Okay, so massive block of flashback. Enjoy, or not.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**ARRRGHH, I'm so awful. I haven't uploaded a new chapter in ages. Then again, my life has been siriusly ridickulus and stuff, because I'm on holiday and I've been travelling and have had no internet at all. Yeah, yeah, I'm making excuses.**

**Yet again, though, to make up for my uselessness, I've written you a very, very long chapter.**

**By the way, I'm thinking about using this novel for NaNo. If you guys know what that is, and think it's a good idea, review and let me know.**

**P.S. REVIEW PLZKTHNXBAI**

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><p>Albus walked back into his dorm room, a glass of hot chocolate in one hand and a warm scone in the other. Panic filled his stomach when his eyes didn't find the pale face with a halo of dark hair, but another minute of searching found the suspiciously Sephy-shaped bulge in the duvet, which trembled with each of her shaky breaths. He placed the hot chocolate and scone on the bedside table and rested a hand on what he assumed to be her shoulder. He felt her jump in shock, and her sob caught in her throat.<p>

"Sephy? I brought you some hot chocolate and a scone. Do you want to come out and eat?"

She mumbled a 'no' and the sobs resumed, very quietly.

"You should eat, you know."

No answer.

"Can I come in?"

Again, there was no answer, but this time Albus interpreted the silence as a 'yes'. He shrugged off his jumper, feeling Sephy's heat radiating through the covers and wisely deciding that he'd be too hot if he kept the woolly thing on. He crawled between the sheets and entered the little tent she'd made for herself. Even in the poor afternoon light that filtered through the sheets, he could pick out the rapidly drying tear-streaks on her soft cheeks. He felt the overwhelming urge to reach up to her face and kiss them away, but restrained himself, knowing better.

"Sephy, please, tell me what's wrong?"

She screwed her eyes shut tight, fighting back another wave of tears, and bit down on her lip until he saw pinpricks of blood appear. _Stop thinking about her mouth, you idiot._ He was struggling with the close proximity – her smell was overpoweringly heady and filled the small space. Their knees were touching, rubbing together, and sweet air from her mouth would periodically fan across his face.

"Please, who did this to you, Seph?" he asked again, hating to probe, but needing to know.

She opened her mouth as though to speak, but her tired throat couldn't form any sound. The sight of her, _her_, gasping like a fish in between sobs made him equally angry at whoever was responsible and devastated to see her in such a state. He pushed the anger to the back of his mind, and let his heart guide his movements. Albus slipped an arm beneath her fragile neck and pulled her closer to him, until her head rested on his chest. Her slender form fitted like a puzzle piece he didn't know he was missing, and they breathed in unison. Silence reigned for a long time in their makeshift haven, and he watched as Sephy's tense muscles relaxed in response to the gentle circles he traced through the back of the shirt he'd lent her. He leant forwards and rested his chin on her silky head, breathing in deep and hungrily absorbing the smell that was so uniquely Sephy. She smelled of amaretto biscuits, spiced plums and marmalade – and those were only the scents he could identify.

Her head got heavier as she let herself be consumed by sleep, and her breaths lengthened and deepened. A few silent tears still crept out of her lashes, making dark circles of wet on his white shirt. His mind wandered, left to its own devices, and he thought with a slight pang of guilt about Felicity. He felt bad for abandoning her, especially since they were supposedly on a 'date'. He didn't really see it that way, and he didn't think she did either – she was so relaxed around him, and he around her (he didn't feel the usual stuttering nervousness when he talked to her that he felt when he talked to anyone else, nor did he feel the swarm of butterflies and the churning stomach that he felt whenever he was around Sephy).

He and Felicity had walked around Hogsmede, chatting and laughing. Her sunny presence had given him confidence in himself – something he hadn't felt for a very long time – and he had found himself able to smile happily and properly at the people he passed in the street. They'd visited the usual shops (Felicity had been horrified when she'd found out that he hadn't been inside Honeyduke's for two years, so they spent a great deal of time and an even larger amount of money there). Despite the increase in confidence, he had still refused to go and eat in the popular haunt for 7th year students – 'The Otter and The Frog' – so he had suggested eating in the small park on the outskirts of Hogsmede, where few people bothered to go. It was there he had found Sephy, who seemed to have visibly shrunk. She looked so tiny and so vulnerable, Albus simply couldn't have left her where she was. They ran over to the tree she was huddled beneath, wide eyes empty of tears and of her usual light, staring straight ahead through the rain at something the pair couldn't see. Instinct took over and Albus had handed the bag of Honeyduke's supplies to Felicity, with an apologetic look. Whatever had happened to Sephy, Albus had been sure that she wouldn't want people to see her in that state, so he had taken a secret passage back to Hogwarts which led to the portrait of Professor Mcgonagall in the Gryffindor common room. He had carried Sephy up to his dorm room, realising that he couldn't get to the girls' dormitories. By this time, she was shivering due to the cold, so Albus had peeled off her wet shirt, exposing the cold skin beneath it. He had only taken a moment to admire her body, before wrapping her in one of his clean shirts.

He looked down at her as she lay in the shirt he had given her; it fit her so perfectly and it felt so natural seeing her in his overlarge shirt, sleeping by his side. His fingers were lost in her brown hair, and his thoughts were lost in remembering. Albus would have fallen asleep in that position, had Sephy not chosen that moment to wake with a start. She jumped so hard that her head knocked into his chin, causing him to bite his tongue _hard_. He was jerked out of his reverie, and his arms loosened so Sephy could wriggle a little further away in order to look at him properly. He closed his eyes briefly at the pain, then stuck his tongue out to check whether he'd bitten it right off. It was still whole, but bleeding a little.

Sephy smiled despite herself at the sight of Albus sticking his tongue out and going cross-eyed trying to see the tip.

"s'not 'unny," he said, his words obscured by the tongue that was still lolling out of his mouth. His attempt at sulky grumpiness made her smile widen.

"I'm sorry, honest," she replied, in an almost normal voice. Albus returned his tongue to the comforts of his mouth, noting the ghost of a smile on her lips and the remarkably steady voice.

"I forgive you, I suppose. It's not your fault you give the Whomping Willow a run for its money in your sleep. Remind me not to get in the way of your flailing again, though."

Sephy raised one perfect eyebrow.

"I do not 'flail'. I'm a Connell, and we Connell women are renowned for our perfect sleeping habits."

"Sure, sure," he said, grinning, overjoyed to see the return of light to the large brown eyes (if only very dull light). "What were you dreaming about that got you so excited?"

"I thought I was falling, that's all. I don't dream." She worried her bottom lip for an instant, which suggested to Albus that she wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Fair 'nuff. I, unfortunately, do dream. Every night, without fail."

"Oh really? What about?" Sephy asked. Albus didn't answer, but he was sure that his blush gave him away. He shook his head, embarrassed.

"C'mon, Al, tell me please?" Sephy pouted.

"Alright, but only if you answer my question first," he said, desperately trying to buy himself enough time to think up a less embarrassing answer to her question.

"Promise?" Albus nodded. "Well, only a yes/no question then."

"Okay. Did Hugo do this to you?" The words left his mouth before he had a chance to consider their effect on her somewhat miraculous recovery.

"Yes." It was barely more than a whisper, but it was enough. Albus didn't fail to notice that the small fire that had been rekindled in her eyes was doused by the mention of Hugo's name. Whatever he'd done, it had to be bad – the tears were already gathering in her eyes, stopped only by the dam she built with her eyelashes.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. It was a stupid question – please don't cry, please. _Fuck, I'm going to kill him_." The last sentence came out as a growl, not meant to be spoken aloud, but they made Sephy look up, and visibly swallow back the wave of tears that threatened to escape.

"Don't – it's not his fault, really. I think… I think it's mine."

He looked up at her in surprise.

"What happened?"

"Nu-uhh, that's two questions," she said with forced joviality. "My turn…Do you dream about a girl?"

"Yes. I'm a guy, after all," he said, shrugging with a 'watcha-gonna-do' look on his face, matching her forced brightness.

"Interesting…"

"My turn? Erm, have you ever had a boyfriend?" It was a lame question, but he didn't want to bring up the sensitive topic again.

"No," she said. His eyebrows rose of their own accord in surprise, and she smiled grimly. He could sense that they were heading towards another sensitive subject and realised he should try to edge the conversation away from it, despite his growing curiosity in the matter. It seemed he knew very little about Persephone Connell. "Do you dream about the same girl every night?" she asked, after a slight pause.

"Yeah, most nights," he said, flushing again. He wasn't sure whether the heat in his cheeks was due to his proximity to those beautiful eyes, to the embarrassment he felt, or to the rapidly rising temperature in their little den.

They were talking as though they'd been friends for years, rather than slight acquaintances, and conversation seemed to come easily. Albus was surprised when the butterflies that gnawed at his stomach walls seemed to disappear one by one, until he was left with a warmth, and the faintest traces of an animal hunger he barely recognised. Bit by bit, they stopped limiting themselves to yes/no questions, and began finding things out about each other. Albus had no sense of time, no idea whether he'd missed dinner yet, no idea whether people were looking for them. Everything he needed was in her eyes, in the light that slowly broke through the sadness, like rays of sunshine reaching out from behind storm clouds.

* * *

><p>Sephy found herself pushing the sadness to the back of her mind, the way she did every time she thought of her father, and began talking more easily. Gradually, it became less of an effort to hold back the black waves of misery – even his voice (soft, deep and comforting) was enough to lock the sadness away. She began to relax, and her smiles became less forced.<p>

"Well, I found James' stash of sweets from Christmas in his sock drawer when I was looking for my favourite pair of socks – don't laugh, they were really fluffy and… never mind. So anyway, I raided his stash and carried them all to my room. I must have sat there eating for about an hour – I think I ate 92 Fizzwizzbees, which has to be some sort of record, right? I went downstairs for dinner completely high on sugar, and fell off my chair three times. Everybody got mad at James 'cause they thought he must have hexed me or something," Albus said, grinning and looking slightly proud of himself. Sephy giggled without meaning to, more at his face than at his story. His smile widened at the sound of her laughter, and two dimples appeared on his cheeks. Almost unconsciously, she reached a hand up to his face and traced the dimple. His smile disappeared slowly, and his eyes grew wider, filled with an emotion she didn't know how to describe. His lips parted slightly, and his pink tongue flicked out to moisten them out of nervousness or desire. Sephy felt her lips parting too, mirroring his, and still she didn't remove her hand from his cheek or avert her eyes from the green ones that were piercing hers. She didn't even dare to breathe.

The door to the dormitory slammed open, shattering the silence and making Sephy drop her hand in surprise. The contact between green and brown was broken as both pair of eyes flicked in the direction of the door. Anyone who discovered them together would automatically assume the worst, Sephy realised, so she lay flat on her back, hardly breathing. She was grateful when Albus did the same, and turned her head towards his to give him a small half-smile which he returned.

A high-pitched giggle echoed around the room, as the sets of footsteps advanced towards one of the beds.

"Which one?" the girl said, in between sickly-sweet giggles.

"This one's mine," the voice replied. But it wasn't just any voice – it was _Hugo_. The last time she'd heard his voice seemed like years ago. The words he'd said echoed around her head, and the door keeping the sorrow back shook as though it was being attacked by a battering ram. _I can't look at you right now, I can't look at you right now, I can't look at you right now._ It played over and over again in her head, drowning out the sound of some fairly intense kissing coming from the neighbouring bed (thankfully). Sephy bit her lip and shut her eyes tight. She kept them closed, even when she felt Albus' warm hand envelop her small one, but she squeezed his hand gratefully as he began to trace soothing circles on the back of her hand. It helped, but it wasn't enough to block the sounds coming from Hugo's bed.

When the little grunting noises started, Sephy was unsure whether to laugh or to cry. If she'd been alone, she probably would have cried. As it was, she glanced at Albus and saw that his frame was shaking with silent laughter. He caught her eye, and the shaking doubled in force. He pressed his lips together to try and prevent any sound escaping, going bright red with the effort. It was such a sight that Sephy snorted loudly. She clapped a hand to her mouth, scared that the unattractive sound that had issued from her nose would have given them away, but the squeaks continued uninterrupted. Both of them were now shaking with repressed laughter which grew harder to control when they happened to catch each other's eyes. Sephy flipped over on to her stomach to press her face into the duvet and let out a muffled chuckle. Albus reached up to wipe his streaming eyes with the hand that wasn't holding hers. Their fit of laughter subsided.

"OH _HUUUGO_," the girl (whom Sephy had identified pretty quickly as Victoria Delacroix) screeched, panting. Hugo didn't cry out – he had a little more dignity than that, Sephy assumed – but grunted rather loudly. The combination of the shrill cry and the deep grunt threw Sephy and Albus back into hysterics.

* * *

><p>"Get dressed," Hugo said bluntly after a few minutes, which he had used to get his breath back. Victoria was curled by his side, her head on his chest, and her arm (which was adorned with a ridiculous amount of jewellery) flung over his stomach. She raised her head to look at him, confused and obviously wondering whether she'd heard him correctly.<p>

"What?"

"Get. Dressed."

"Now?" _Yes, now, you stupid bitch, _he wanted to say, but nodded instead.

"But… Why? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, worry clouding her eyes. It was easy to forget she was human - she looked and sounded so much like a Barbie doll - but the look on her face reminded him that even she had feelings (sometimes). Even in his foul mood, he didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily.

"No, you didn't Vicky," he said softly, kissing her forehead, "but I have to get ready for dinner, and I should probably shower – you gave me quite a workout." He spoke the words he thought she'd want to hear to pacify her, and it seemed to work as she was back to her usual irritating self. She scrambled back in to her clothes – a low cut t-shirt and a very short pair of shorts and kissed him in a way she clearly thought was passionate. She walked out of the room, wiggling her hips for his benefit and blowing him a kiss over her shoulder as she said, "Buh-bye, sweetie. See you later."

He lay on his back staring at the ceiling for a long time, arms crossed beneath his head. Hugo's mind wandered, and, as usual, he ended up thinking of Sephy. But this time, he refused to allow himself to dwell on her, so he leapt from the bed and padded towards the bathroom. A cold shower would empty his mind of dangerous thoughts of bright brown eyes, full moist lips that part slightly and… _Hugo! Stop it, _he screamed at himself. A wave of lust hit him, harder than he thought was possible, and he paused, leaning against the doorframe for support. He waited there, as though immobilised by a powerful head rush, until his vision had cleared. That's when he heard it – a giggle he would have recognised anywhere. Hugo shook his head, believing the sound to be a trick of his over-excited imagination. The giggle sounded again, this time accompanied by a deeper laugh and a great deal of rustling. The sounds seemed so real, Hugo had a great deal of difficulty persuading himself it was nothing but a figment of his imagination. He turned, very slowly, just to remind himself that he was alone.

But he wasn't.

She stood there, as real as he was, her cheeks very pink and her hair ruffled and messy. She hadn't seen him yet; she was turned towards the bed she had emerged from, both small hands wrapped in larger ones. She leaned backwards as she pulled whoever was holding her hands out from underneath the bedcovers. Hugo stood, frozen, unable to look away as his Sephy dragged a boy out of the bed next to his own. The seconds seemed to drag on forever.

His cousin straightened up, staring at Sephy with a wide smile on his face. Hugo watched, unmoving, as Albus saw him at last and the smile froze on his face. His face drained of colour, then the red came rushing back to his cheeks. Hugo turned on his heel and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him. He smiled bitterly, trying to distract himself from the pain that squeezed his heart with an iron fist with the thought that Albus had looked uncharacteristically stupid with his mouth hanging open and his face bright red, but it wasn't enough.


End file.
